Defense of the Heart
by Deplora
Summary: FINISHED It has been two years since Sora sealed Kingdom Hearts, but the Heartless are still there. Leon, Yuffie, Cloud, Aerith, and Cid return to Traverse Town, but something happens to Yuffie there. LY and CA
1. Prologue and Chapter 1: Accidents Happen

Author's Note: This is my first fanfic ever. All reviews are welcome. I have only played Kingdom Hearts, so if anything seems wrong about the Final Fantasy characters, I am sorry. This story takes place two years after Kingdom Hearts has been sealed, so the characters will be older than they were in the game. Also, I don't know exactly where this story will go. I intend for it to be a romance focusing mainly of Yuffie and Squall/Leon, but the muses work in mysterious ways. The rating is PG-13 right now because future chapters may need it. 

  
  


Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square and Disney. 

  


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Defense of the Heart

  
  
  
  


_Prologue: The Dream_

  


_ They were following her. She tried to run, but everything felt like it was going in slow motion. She tried screaming, but no noise would escape her lips. She kept trying to run until she suddenly felt a solid wall looming in front of her. She pressed her back against it as she felt the darkness surround her. She turned around and began to beat the wall with her fists and tried to scream once again, desperately trying to be heard. But still, no sound came from her lips and the beating_ _of the wall proved to be in vain. She turned around to face her attackers and saw the yellow eyes and claws. The Heartless were going to win this time._

  


Leon awoke to his eighteen year-old partner thrashing in her sleep on her half of the bed they shared in the Green Room. She appeared to be absolutely terrified with her short black hair damp from sweat. Just as he was about to awaken her, she rolled into him and started to beat his chest with her fists, mumbling incoherent words.

He started to shake her awake, saying her name softly at first to try and calm her down before she awoke the whole hotel.

  


"Yuffie, wake up. Yuffie." Nothing, she was still fighting her unknown enemies in her sleep. "YUFFIE!!" he tried again. _There,_ he thought, _that woke her up. _

She opened her dark eyes quickly, and he noticed that they were darting around the room, looking for the unseen monsters from her dream. She visibly calmed down when she realized it was just a dream.

  


"Hey," Leon said softly, rubbing her back and shoulders. "It's alright. You're safe now. It was only a dream."

  


"Oh, Squall, it was horrible. They were everywhere. I tried to run, but they trapped me. I couldn't fight, I couldn't scream, I couldn't do anything!" she managed to gasp out.

  


"Shh, it's okay. They're not going to get you. You're safe in the Green Room. And, it's Leon." He didn't bother to ask what was chasing her. It was always the same. It was always the Heartless. He continued to rub her back and shoulders, trying to erase the tension he could feel building up there.

  


As Yuffie calmed down, she realized that she was lying against her twenty-seven year old partner, who instead of complaining, was actually rubbing small circles on her back. Although she had dreamed of this moment since she was seven, when she first met Squall, she could not stop the blush from spreading on her cheeks.

  


She jumped out of bed, nearly knocking Squall on the floor in the process, and ran to the bathroom to get dressed for the day, figuring it would be useless to try to get anymore sleep since the sun was already shining brightly through the window. Besides, even if she did manage to go back to sleep, the nightmare would only begin again. So, she put on her normal training clothes and prepared to face the day. However, from the bathroom, she could hear Squall muttering indistinguishable words under his breath. _Of course he's muttering. His partner has proved to him once again that she is just a child who still has nightmares. He will never see me in the way I want him to see me...as a woman who is hopelessly in love with him._

  


Getting up slowly, Leon muttered, "Of course she leaps out of the bed when she notices that I am the one comforting her. All she sees me as is an emotionless man whom she could never love." 

  


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_Chapter One: Accidents Happen_

  


After Sora had sealed Kingdom Hearts, something had gone wrong. Instead of stopping the spread of the Heartless, they grew stronger. And, to top matters off, the worlds did not disconnect as everyone had supposed would happen, making Gummi travel still possible. When Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, and Cid had discovered this, they returned to Traverse Town for two reasons. First of all, they had to protect the citizens of Traverse Town, who were completely clueless when it came to defending themselves from the Heartless. Secondly, the memories of everyone and everything that had been lost at Hollow Bastion when the Heartless had come were too much for them to bear. They had stayed there for two years, but were still unable to cope with the pain of the past. Therefore, they returned to Traverse Town, once again staying at the hotel.

  


Although they had become the local heroes at Traverse Town, the hotel manager was unable to spare more than three rooms for the five of them. Yuffie originally believed she would be sharing a room with Cid because Aerith and Cloud had become inseparable since his return, and because of the fact that Squall liked his privacy. So, she was thoroughly surprised when Cid refused to room with her, claiming that a forty-three year old man needed privacy more than a twenty-seven year old. Thus, Yuffie became the roommate of one Squall Leonheart.

  


When Yuffie ecstatically broke the news to Leon that they would be sharing the Green Room, she realized that her excitement was nothing compared to his resentment.

  


_"Hey, Squall. Guess what? We're going to be sharing a room this time at Traverse Town," she happily told him._

  


_ "Great, just what I need, a brat for a roommate. And, it's Leon!!" he grumbled._

  


_ "But Squall, we are partners. It would make things much easier when the Heartless attack if we share a room. Besides, do you really think Cloud and Aerith would allow us to keep them apart? Or that Cid would relinquish his precious privacy?" she calmly explained._

  


_ "It's Leon!! Fine, we'll share the room, but we are not, I repeat, we are not sharing the bed. I will sleep on the bed and you will sleep on the floor. Okay?"_

  


_ "Yeah, whatever. I just hope you don't snore."_

However, this sleeping arrangement was short-lived due to the fact that the young ninja was unable to effectively fight the Heartless because of the stiff muscles she had gained from sleeping on the floor. Leon finally gave in and allowed her to sleep on the other side of the bed, with the promise that she would not keep him awake at night from tossing and turning.

  


_"Okay, Yuffie. I give up. You can sleep on the bed with me," Leon conceded._

  


_ "Really?? Oh, Squall, you're the best. I don't know how to thank you," she had squealed. _

  


_ "Damn it Yuffie, the name is Leon! And, if you keep me awake at night with your tossing and turning, you will start sleeping on the floor again."_

  


"_Don't worry, Squall. I won't move a muscle the whole night. Just wait and see."_

  


_ "It's Leon."_

  


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It wasn't long after they had come to an agreement to share the bed when she began to have the nightmares. Usually, she would come out of it before she had awakened Squall with her thrashing, but last night was different. The dream had been so real. Even in the daylight, she felt that the shadows from her dream were following her.

  


Sitting at the small table in the Green Room, she ran her hands through her short, black hair while staring down at her cup of coffee. She decided to look at the clock to see what time it was. 

  


"Hey Squall, it's nine already. Are we going to train today, or what?" she inquired.

  


"It's Leon, and yes, we're going to train today. Just like we do everyday. Just give me a minute to eat breakfast, will ya?"

  


"Okay, whatever. I'll just meet you at the Waterway." And, with that, Yuffie left the Green Room through the balcony, jumped off, and headed into the dark, dank Waterway to wait for Squall.

  


An hour later, they were both back at the hotel, looking a little ragged.

  


"Thanks a lot, Yuffie!" Leon growled as the young ninja helped a limping and bleeding Leon through the door.

  


"Hey!" she exclaimed. "It's not my fault the shuriken ricocheted off the wall!"

  


"Maybe not, but that doesn't change the fact that it is YOUR damn shuriken embedded in MY leg!!!" he yelled.

  


"Look, I'm sorry Squall. How many times do I have to apologize?"

  


"Too many! And, for the last friggin' time, my name is LEON!!"

  


"Fine!! I'll just go find Aerith so she can help your wound," she screamed, stomping off toward the room shared by Aerith and Cloud, leaving a pained Leon in the Green Room.

  


Sighing, Leon slowly sat down on the bed, examining the wound with one hand and running his other hand through his long, brown hair as he waited for Aerith to come take care of his leg. _How could I possibly have been paired with such an immature, crazy, and utterly annoying brat that calls herself a ninja? _he thought. _But, then again, who else would put up with the shit I put her through?_

  


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Aerith heard Yuffie stomping through the door of the Red Room and looked up to see an obviously exasperated ninja throwing herself upon the bed. 

  


"Yuffie, what's wrong?" Aerith asked gently, walking towards her, smoothing her pink dress as she went. 

  


"With me, nothing that can be helped. But, Squall, on the other hand, has a shuriken stuck in his leg."

  


"What have you done now, Yuffie? I know you and Leon have your differences, but do you have to actually wound him? This has gone too far!" she exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air and headed for the Green Room to help Leon.

  


"It's not my fault!" Yuffie said, defensively. "I was practicing in the Waterway, by myself, because Mr. Grumpy-butt just had to get up late this morning and eat a late breakfast before he could possibly begin to practice. I didn't hear him come in and he didn't say anything until I was throwing the shuriken. He startled me, causing my aim to be off, and it ricocheted off the wall and into his leg. See, it's not my fault!! It's his fault really."

  


"Okay, Yuffie. I believe you. But that doesn't change the fact that Leon is hurt and probably angry right now. Maybe you should stay in here while I tend to his leg," the Flower Girl said as she began to gather her medical supplies.

  


"Don't worry. I don't plan on going back in there until he's asleep. He's mad enough to kill me right now."

  


"Oh, one last thing Yuffie. What were you aiming for before Leon interrupted you?"

  


Sighing, Yuffie looked down and mumbled, "An imaginary Squall."

Laughing gently, Aerith said, "I see. Well, I better go take care of him before he comes in here after me."

  


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Aerith entered the Green Room to find a disgruntled Leon lying on the bed, with his wounded leg hanging off the side. As she entered, he turned his angry blue eyes towards the door, expecting Yuffie to be coming back.

  


"Yuffie, you better not...oh, it's you Aerith," his voice harsh at first, softened when he realized who came in. "I suppose the brat sent you to take care of my leg."

  


"Yes, she said her shuriken accidentally hit your leg. And, that you needed some help with it," Aerith stated while cutting his pants' leg away from the wound.

  


"Hey, what are you doing? Those are leather pants, ya know. They aren't exactly cheap," he said angrily.

  


"Leon, I have to cut it away in order to clean the wound. I'll buy you a new pair."

"No, that's alright. I'll make Yuffie buy them since this is her fault."

  


"Now, Leon, she said it was an accident. Besides, I don't think she has enough munny to buy them."

  


"It wasn't an accident. She threw it at me on pur--" he began, but winced from the disinfectant Aerith poured onto his leg. "Ouch!! That hurts!! Just leave it alone!!"

  


"Leon," Aerith said calmly, "your leg needs to be disinfected to prevent an infection from forming. Now, what were you saying about Yuffie?" she asked as she began to wrap gauze around his leg.

  


"I said, the brat threw it at me on purpose."

  


"What makes you think that?"

  


"When I went down there, I could hear her saying 'Take that Squall! Not going to correct me now, are ya Squall?' Now, Aerith, tell me, why else would she be saying that if she didn't want to throw her shuriken at me?"

  


Aerith laughed. "Because, when I asked her what she was aiming for, she said 'an imaginary Squall.' Now, are you going to tell me why she was upset enough at you to be throwing things at an 'imaginary Squall,' or am I going to have to pull it out of her?" 

  


"I don't know what ticked her off. I haven't done anything that I don't usually do, you know the whole Leon versus Squall thing, but that doesn't make her mad," he sighed, head in his hands.

  


"Okay, I'll talk to her. But, Leon, try not to sneak up on Yuffie when she's throwing a shuriken again, alright?" Aerith said as she left the room. "I don't think your leg can take another hit right now."

  


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Meanwhile, in the Red Room, Yuffie still lay on the bed trying to think of the best way to make it up to Squall for the accident. Not coming up with anything, she sighed, loudly.

  


"What's wrong, Yuffie? And where's Aerith?" the blond asked her.

  


Startled, Yuffie jumped up, yelling, "Cloud, don't sneak up on me like that!! I could have hurt you!!"

  


"It'll be a cold day in Hell when you hurt me," he said, laughing.

  


"Oh, really? Just ask Squall. He'll tell you what happens when people sneak up on me,"

she said in her defense.

  


"Okay, Yuffie, you have my attention. What did you do to Leon?" Cloud asked curiously.

  


"Well..." she began, "I was practicing in the Waterway by myself and I accidentally threw a shuriken in his leg."

  


Cloud began laughing hysterically. "It's not funny, Cloud!" Yuffie protested. "Squall's really mad at me right now."

  


"I'm sorry, but the thought of the 'mighty Gunblade wielder' being brought down by his own partner is hilarious!" he exclaimed, tears rolling out of his blue eyes from laughing so hard.

  


"Laugh all you want Cloud. I'm going to take a walk and wait for Squall to cool off before I come back. So, knowing Squall, I'm may be gone for a couple years," she muttered as she walked out the Red Room towards the Second District.


	2. Chapter Two: Dreams Come True

Author's Note: Okay, people, the muses are working overtime and I have just finished this chapter. So, I guess I'll go ahead and post it so that people can see where it's going. Remember, all reviews are welcome, even flames. 

  


Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square and Disney. I do not own any part of them. If I did, do you think I would be sitting here writing stories for free?__

  


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_Chapter Two: Dreams Come True_

  


The Second District of Traverse Town was unusually quiet for a Friday night. Usually, the place was crawling with young lovers strolling around holding hands. Yuffie had been wandering around aimlessly for the whole day, deciding to wait until nightfall to return to the hotel and face Squall. After spending a few hours playing with the puppies at the Dalmatian's house, Yuffie decided to walk through the gizmo shop since she had nothing better to do until Squall had a chance to cool down. The gizmo shop was always a nice place to hang out when you had nothing better to do. And you could always find Heartless there when you needed to blow off some steam.

  


_Squall is such an idiot. He should know better than to sneak up on someone when they are armed. He's just lucky that the shuriken didn't hit him somewhere more painful_, she thought to herself since there was no one to talk to. _And, besides, while the Heartless are still out and about, I need to be able to protect myself. For all I knew, he could have been a Wizard sneaking up on me. Ugh, I really need some time off. All I seem to be able to think about are the impending attacks from the Heartless. It's even starting to affect my sleep._

  


_ I don't even want to think about what Squall thinks about last night. I mean, there I was, rolling around on the bed and hitting him. No wonder he started to rub my back–it was the only way he could keep me from hurting him. He's probably still pissed about that. Then, to top matters off, he had to surprise me like that in the Waterway._

  


By now, Yuffie was off in her own little world, not paying attention to what was happening around her. She reached the doors to the gizmo shop and threw them open, taking comfort in the air conditioning, a welcome relief from the summer heat outside. She looked at the clock as she walked through, noting it was around ten at night.

  


_Well, he's probably cooled down by now_, she thought. But before she could finish this thought, she heard the lock click in the door.

"Oh shit!" she cried, looking around quickly to see what was going on around her. At first, she didn't see anything, so she ran back to the door, only to find that the door was indeed locked. She hurried across the room to try the other door, but heard its lock click right before she reached it.

  


"Okay. Whoever's doing this better stop. I'm the Greatest Female Ninja Ever, and I don't think that you really want to mess with me!" she yelled, grabbing her shurikens. Just as she was getting ready for a fight, the lights went out around her.

  


"Damn it! I don't need this right now! But I can take you on, whoever you are!" she yelled to the silent room. Then, on the far side of the room, she saw them–the yellow eyes of the Heartless, preparing to launch an attack on her.

  


"If only I could see, then I could take them all down," she muttered. Then, she realized that this was her nightmare from last night. "No, nightmares don't really come true! They can't!" she screamed, running blindly across the room, only to find the same wall from her dream stopping her. She felt along the wall until she came to the door knob of the exit. She desperately tried to turn it, but to no avail. She turned around to face the oncoming assault of yellow eyes and claws, trying to be brave, throwing shurikens blindly into the mass of demons approaching her.

  


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"Aerith, have you seen Yuffie?" Leon asked, limping into the Red Room. _Damn, _he thought, _that shuriken must have done more damage than I thought._

  


"She's not back yet? But it's nearly midnight. I thought she would have returned by now," Aerith asked worriedly, glancing at Cloud to see if he knew anything.

  


"She was pretty upset when I saw her this morning. She said something about staying gone until Leon cooled down," the blond said, worry showing in his blue eyes.

  


"Do you think we should go looking for her? She might be in some kind of trouble, what with the Heartless still here and all," Aerith asked the two men, biting her lip like she always does when she's worried.

  


"No. She'll come back when she's ready to. And you don't need to worry about her being in trouble. She can take care of herself. Just look at the damage she did to my leg. I can hardly walk on it," Leon stated. 

  


"Then why did you come in here asking about her in the first place?" Cloud wondered.

  


"No reason, just wondering if you had seen her." _Damn,_ he thought, _now they think that I may actually be worried about her. I can't have anyone suspecting anything until I know exactly how I feel myself._

  


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After Leon left the room, Aerith turned to Cloud with a pleading look in her eyes. He knew that look well, it meant she wanted something. And he thought he knew what she wanted this time.

  


"Okay, Aerith. I'll help you look for Yuffie," he conceded.

  


"Thank you Cloud. I knew I could count on you," she gushed as she reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips.

  


"Aerith, you know I could never turn you down. I love you too much."

  


"I know, but I hate to take advantage of that. However, tonight is different. I'm really worried about Yuffie. She never stays out this late. Never. Not even when she's furious with Leon. Something must be wrong. I just know it," she sighed.

  


"Well, we better hurry then, hadn't we?" Cloud stated matter-of-factly, taking her hand as they walked out of the Red Room and into the hotel.

  


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Back in the Green Room, Leon lay on the bed, trying to get some sleep. Yuffie's nightmares had been keeping him awake most nights although she hadn't known that she had been awakening him night after night. Most nights, he lay there quietly, ready to intervene if the nightmare became to much for her to bear. But last night, when she rolled into him, he couldn't stand it any longer. He had to wake her up. He hated seeing her so terrified. There was only one other time he had seen her that terrified, eleven years ago when the Heartless had taken control of Hollow Bastion.

  


_"Aerith, they're everywhere! They look like the monsters from my dreams!! And they're coming to get me!!" a seven year old Yuffie had screamed, running into Aerith as she, Cloud, and Squall, as he was called then, explored the castle._

  


_ "Yuffie, it's okay. There's nothing there. See. Look behind you. The only thing behind you is your shadow," a fourteen year old Aerith tried to explain._

  


_ Aerith took a protesting Yuffie's hand and began to walk down the hall with her to prove that there was nothing there, while Squall and Cloud waited for their return. It was then that they heard Aerith's scream, as she and Yuffie ran back to them. She pushed them into the library and slammed the door, then turned to clutch Cloud as she sobbed._

  


_ "She's right! They're everywhere! I don't know what they are, but we need to get out of here! Quick," she said, trying to shove them into a lift stop. "They're coming!!"_

  


_ Squall frantically grabbed his Gunblade, his sixteenth birthday present last month,_ _and ran back towards the place where the monsters were coming from. Cloud followed him with his own Buster sword, hoping to stop the monsters and protect the girls._

  


_ "Squall," Cloud pleaded, "go with the girls. Keep them safe. Take them to Cid. He has a ship that will save them and you. I can hold them off while you do it!"_

  


_ "No, Cloud, you go! I'll stay here and fight!"_

  


_ "Squall, your Gunblade offers better protection for them than my sword! Now, go!"_

  


_ And with that, Cloud pushed Squall back into the library and locked him in. Squall ran up the stairs to find Aerith and Yuffie huddled in the corner_.

  


_"Come on! Let's go! We have to find Cid!" he cried._

  


_ "But what about Cloud?! I can't leave him behind!" Aerith had screamed. But Squall was too strong for her. He grabbed her arm and dragged her into the lift stop with a screaming Yuffie following them. When they finally found him, Cid was rounding up the rest of the survivors into a ship he called a Gummi. _

  


_ Once on board, Aerith threw herself onto the first seat she could find and started sobbing uncontrollably. Watching her, Yuffie walked up to Squall and tugged on his jacket._

_ "What's your name?" she asked quietly._

  


_ "Squall," he had replied._

  


_ "Well, Squall, thank you for helping Aerith and me. But where's Aerith's boyfriend, Cloud?"_

_ "I don't know kid, I don't know."_

  


That was the one time he had seen her so completely helpless looking. When they arrived at Traverse Town, she decided that she wanted to become a ninja. She didn't want to be helpless anymore. Even as a seven year old Yuffie could be fairly stubborn. Like refusing to call him Leon when he changed his name soon after they arrived.

  


_ "But Squall, why do you want to change your name? I like the name Squall," she had said._

  


_ "Because, Yuffie, Squall died at Hollow Bastion along with his friend, Cloud," he calmly stated._

  


_ "Well, how do you know that Cloud died? I think he's still alive, so I'm still going to call you Squall."_

  


_ "No, he's dead and you're not going to call me Squall."_

  


_ "Yes, I am!"_

  


_ The argument lasted for an hour before Squall gave up and left Yuffie with the still crying Aerith._

  


It was because of this stubbornness that Leon refused to be worried about her right now, thinking she was only still out because she was too stubborn to come back and admit that she hit him on purpose with that shuriken.

  


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Cloud and Aerith had looked all over the First and Second Districts of Traverse Town and were becoming genuinely worried that Yuffie had done something stupid, like taking a Gummi ship and leaving. But after talking with Cid, they discovered that there had been no Gummi's leaving Traverse Town that day. The two young lovers continued to search the first district, but still no such luck. They decided to try the Second District before giving up.

  


"Come on, Cloud. Let's try the Second District before we give up on her," the Flower Girl pleaded.

  


"Okay, but Aerith, this is the last place we look. After this, we're returning to the hotel and waiting until daylight. There's not much more we can do until then anyways," he calmly told her, expecting her to start pouting.

  


"I agree. But I don't want to give up hope on her being found. She would never give up hope. Did you know that the whole time that Leon, Cid, and I thought you were dead she never gave up hope? She kept telling us that you would come back to us," Aerith told him.

  


"No, I didn't know that. But how did she know that I would return?" he wondered.

  


"She's always been optimistic. And she has kept her optimism through the years," Aerith proudly said. 

  


Thinking for a minute, Cloud asked, "Hey, doesn't she like to go to the gizmo shop sometimes to cool off?" as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

  


"That's right!! I completely forgot. Last time her and Leon had a fight she ran over there to let off steam by fighting the Heartless. You don't think that she's been injured do you?" she asked worriedly.

  


"No, she's probably just sitting there. Hell, she may even be asleep in there for all we know. Let's hurry up. I'm tired of all this walking."

  


They hurried to the gizmo shop and tried the door, only to discover it was locked. Cloud continued to try and open the door, saying, "That's weird. I didn't think they ever locked the gizmo shop up."

  


Noticeably worried, Aerith called out, "Yuffie, are you in there? Come on, open up."

  


From inside the gizmo shop they heard a low moan. Looking at Cloud with worry etched in her face, Aerith began to beat on the door, yelling, "Yuffie! Are you okay? Open the door! Yuffie!"

  


Receiving no answer, Cloud began to beat on the door himself. Seeing it was no use, he decided to ram the door with his shoulder. "Aerith, stand back!" he yelled as he ran into the door.

  


"Umph!! Once more." Ramming the door seemed to have knocked it in a little, but it still was shut tight. Cloud tried again, this time the door crashed open, showing them the darkness that lay within it.

  


Straining to see, Aerith called out, "Yuffie, where are you? Yuffie, come on, answer me! This had better not be a joke!"

  


Cloud walked through the door tentatively, hearing a low moan coming from the corner. Waiting for his eyes to adjust, he tried to see what the lump in the corner was. His eyes adjusted and he saw Yuffie, slumped down on the floor.

  


"Yuffie! Yuffie! Aerith, come help me! Yuffie's unconscious!"

  


"Oh no! Okay, I'm coming, what do you want me to do?"

  


"I need you to help me pick her up. Once I get her in my arms, I'll be fine. Just watch out and make sure that there's not anything around to attack us," he cried.

  


"I can't tell in all this darkness! Come on, hurry Cloud! We need to get her back to the hotel so I can see what's wrong!" Aerith wailed.

  


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Author's Note: Ooh! A cliffhanger! I should have the next chapter up within the next few days if anyone's interested. My muse has really been working hard. Please review. I'm begging you. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter Three: Sleep

Author's Note: Okay, here's the next chapter. I don't know what's wrong with my muse. She usually takes longer to help with a story, but this one just seems to keep coming. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't complain. I should take advantage of it and finish this story this weekend. Thank you to the reviewers that I've had so far: Snowri, Vulpes Lapis, and Rainy Diamond. It really means a lot to me. 

  


Snowri: Yes, Squall's acting mean, but it's so much fun to write his character.

  


VL: Don't worry, Yuffie will be okay, eventually.

  


Rainy Diamond: I'm updating as fast as I can get it written.

  
  


Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square and Disney. I will never own it. In fact, I don't even own a copy of the game. (sobs) I just borrow my nephew's when I want to play.

  


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_Chapter Three: Sleep_

  


Cloud carried the still unconscious Yuffie back to the Green Room with a worried Aerith running ahead of him to open the door and turn on the lights. "Watch her head!" she cried, as Cloud walked through the door. 

  


"Hey, what's going on?" a sleepy Leon asked, wincing in the sudden brightness of the room. "What time is it?"

  


"Leon, get off the bed!" Cloud demanded. "Yuffie's unconscious. And, she needs the bed."

  


"What!?! What happened? Is she okay?" he exclaimed, jumping off the bed, forgetting about his bad leg until he stood on it.

  


"We don't know. We just found her locked in the gizmo shop, laying in the corner. Now, move out of the way!" Aerith demanded, uncharacteristically harsh, as she shoved him out of the way.

  


Cloud lay Yuffie gently on the bed, placing a pillow underneath her head. With the lights on, they could see just how badly she had been injured. Her head had a large purple knot forming at her temple. Her arms and legs were covered with scratches that, although they were small by themselves, still bled. Her gloves had holes torn in them and were stained red with her blood. Her legs looked as though they had taken the brunt of the attack. They were nearly a solid blood red which seeped into her torn socks. Leon, Cloud, and Aerith collectively gasped when they saw the damage the young ninja had sustained.

  


"What the hell happened to her?" Leon demanded. "It looks like she took on the whole friggin' army of Heartless by herself!"

  


"We don't have time to worry about that! Cloud, go into our room and get the medical supplies! Leon, go get some warm water and a wash rag! Now!" Aerith commanded, beginning to look closely at her head wound.

  


Cloud and Leon ran in opposite directions to get what the Flower Girl demanded, knowing they would have to face her wrath if they came back empty handed. Aerith may seem like the gentlest creature in the world, but when someone she loved was in danger, you had better do as she said.

  


Leon returned first with the water and rag. He walked over to Aerith and asked softly, "Do you think she'll be alright?" as he handed the wet cloth to her.

  


"Leon, I honestly don't know," she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Her face is so pale. And this knot on her head doesn't look good."

  


"Aerith!" Cloud called from the Red Room, "I can't find your damn medical bag! Where is it?"

  


"I'm coming!" she called back. Turning to Leon, she said, "Here. Take this rag and wipe the blood away gently until I come back."

  


Leon took the rag and did as she said, looking at his inanimate partner. _This is all my fault,_ he thought. _If I hadn't been so mad when that shuriken hit me, then she wouldn't have stayed out so late. Damn me and my temper!_

  


Aerith came back in and took the rag back from Leon and continued to gently rub the blood away so she could see what needed the most attention. After doing this, she took out the bottle of disinfectant and poured it on the rag, saying, "It's a good thing that she's unconscious in a way. She would never be able to stand the disinfectant," as she wiped it into the wounds. 

  


Leon backed away from Aerith and Yuffie to stand next to Cloud across the room. "This is my fault," he told the blonde. "I shouldn't lose my temper so often with her."

  


"Hey," Cloud said softly, "you know she has a stubborn streak. It's no one's fault that this happened. Sometimes bad things just happen."

  


"Don't give me that shit, Cloud! You said it yourself that she said she was staying gone until I cooled off! If I didn't lose my temper so often, she would never have gone out!" he yelled angrily.

  


"Leon, calm down. No one knew this would happen. She knew that the Heartless were there when she went in. I repeat, it is no one's fault," he stated, putting his hand on Leon's shoulder.

  


"Look, I don't care what you say. But the point remains that she wouldn't have gone out if I hadn't been such a damn jerk to her. I'm going for a walk," he declared, knocking Cloud's arm off his shoulder.

  


At this Aerith looked up from what she was doing, pleading, "But Leon, it's two in the morning! And you're injured! What if the Heartless attack? I can't tend to you and Yuffie. Cloud, don't let him out that door!"

  


"Fine! I'll just go sit in the lobby," he yelled, trying to stomp into the hallway, but having an obviously hard time because of his leg.

  


Cloud walked over to Aerith, asking, "Do you need any help?"

  


"No, there's not much more I can do. All I need to do now is try and help the swelling on her head," she said, putting her head in her hands. "I'm not sure if she's going to make it Cloud. I just don't know," she cried.

  


Cloud wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair, "Shh, it's going to be alright. You know as well as I do that she won't let go without a fight. Let's just try and focus on helping her now."

  


With this, Aerith pulled out of Cloud's arms to find an ice pack to put on Yuffie's head. She placed it gently upon her head, and sat in the chair Cloud had pulled next to the bed. As Cloud turned to walk into the Red Room, Aerith cried, "Cloud, please don't leave me in here alone! I don't think I can handle it."

  


Cloud came back and gently kissed the top of her head, saying, "I wasn't leaving. I was going to get another chair from our room." He went into their room and came back carrying the aforementioned chair, setting it down next to Aerith's. He sat down and reached across for her hand, massaging the top of it with his thumb. Aerith just sighed softly and visibly calmed down.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Meanwhile, in the hotel's lobby, Leon paced across the floor as best as he could without doing more damage to his leg. He continued to blame himself, thinking to himself, _Damn it, Leon! You just had to blow up at her! You wouldn't even listen to her apology, would you? And now, just look at what has happened. For all you know, she may die tonight! And she won't even know that you care about her! _Surprised at this thought, Leon looked up and muttered, "Do I care about her?"

  


After spending an hour walking a hole in the lobby's rug, Leon returned to the Green Room to find Cloud and Aerith slouching in their chairs, obviously asleep and snoring. He gently shook Aerith awake.

  


"Cloud, not now. I'm trying to sleep," she mumbled, still half asleep.

  


"Aerith, it's me, Leon. I came to check on Yuffie," Leon declared.

  


"Wha–, oh!" she exclaimed, sitting up to stretch and yawn. She gently touched the knot on Yuffie's temple to check on the swelling. "Well, Leon, there's not been much change from what I can tell. The swellings gone down some, but she's still unconscious. It doesn't look good."

  


"Okay, thanks Aerith. Here, I'll sit with her so you and lover-boy there can get some sleep," he said, as he helped Aerith get out of the chair.

  


Aerith walked over to Cloud, whispering, "Cloud, come on. We're going to our room now," as she shook him awake.

"But it's not morning yet, mom. Just five more minutes," he grumbled in his sleep.

  


"Cloud! I am not your mother. Now, come on, we're going to our room to get some sleep in a more comfortable bed," she said as she pulled him up out of the chair.

  


"Hmm? Oh, okay. What are we doing in here anyway? Oh, yeah, I forgot. Yuffie's been injured," he mumbled, as he stumbled into the Red Room, still not fully awake.

  


After they left, Leon sat down in the chair Aerith had vacated next to the bed. Looking at the pale Yuffie, he couldn't help himself from brushing her short black hair out of her face. He pulled his hand back from her face when he saw the purple knot still on her head. Sighing, he placed his head in his hands, saying under his breath, "I'm so sorry, Yuffie. I didn't want this to happen. It's all my fault."

  


Unbeknownst to him, Aerith was standing in the doorway between the two rooms as he said this. She had been planning to retrieve her shoes, but decided it would be best to wait until morning, knowing that Leon would be furious if he knew that she had seen him show some compassion.

  


She tip-toed back into the Red Room, closing the door softly so as not to disturb Leon, then walked over to the bed where Cloud lay, already asleep. She crawled under the covers and lay against the blond. As she sighed, his arms wrapped around her protectively.

  


"I thought you were asleep," she whispered, not wanting to disturb the silence.

  


"No, I was waiting for you. Don't worry Aerith, Yuffie will be okay," he said softly in her ear, before they both fell asleep.

  


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Author's Note: Oh, no! Another cliffhanger. Yuffie's still unconscious and Leon has shown some compassion! What's the world coming to! But don't worry, I should have the next chapter up by tomorrow night, possibly even later tonight. My muse loves me right now. :)


	4. Chapter Four: Lost Memories

Author's Note: Wow, another chapter up already! This will be the last one until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. (I have classes tomorrow morning) So, I hope ya'll like this story so far. Once again, thank you to the reviewers.

  


Disclaimer: Again, I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to Square and Disney. __

  


_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

  
  
  
  


_Chapter Four: Lost Memories_

  


Leon awoke in the most uncomfortable position a man could possibly be in when sleeping in a hard chair. He briefly wondered why he was in that chair to begin with, when his eyes rested upon Yuffie. Suddenly, it all came back to him: the accident with the shuriken, their fight, and Cloud carrying her limp body into the room. She looked as though she had not moved all night. He gently brushed her hair away from the knot on her head and sighed with relief when he noticed it had gone down as he had slept. He glanced at the rest of her, noting all the scabs that had formed on her arms and legs. Getting up, he limped to the door of the Red Room, still favoring his wounded leg.

  


Knocking on the door, Leon hollered, "Aerith, Cloud, are you guys awake? I need some one to check Yuffie. She looks better to me, but I don't know anything about this stuff."

  


"Hold on, Leon. I'm coming," he heard Aerith yell through the closed door. He hobbled to the small table in the room to wait for her to come. 

  


Aerith walked into the room, immediately noting how haggard and disheveled Leon looked. Turning her attention to the injured ninja, she gasped.

  


"What?! Is something wrong? Aerith talk to me?" Leon pleaded as he tried to run to her. Still receiving no reply, he grabbed Aerith by the shoulders, turning her to face him. "What is wrong with her?"

Aerith looked up at him, and replied, "She just looks so much better. I was surprised. Look, the color has begun to come back to her cheeks. And the knot is so much smaller. I think she's going to make it!" 

  


Leon sighed, thinking those had to be the sweetest words he ever heard. "Well, I'm going to take a walk," he declared as he walked towards the door.

  


"Okay, Leon. But, please be careful. We don't need someone else wounded."

  


"Don't worry. I'll take the Gunblade with me and I'll try to stay away from the Heartless," he said as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Aerith sat on the chair next to Yuffie's bed reading a book. She really didn't want to leave Yuffie alone in this condition. She could wake up at any time and need some help. Cloud walked into the room, startling Aerith who had begun to doze off.

  


"Any change yet, Aerith?" the blond asked.

  


"No, she's still out cold," she replied with a sigh.

  


"Maybe you should come back to our room and take a nap," he said when he noticed her yawn, thinking he could use a nap as well.

  


"Cloud, do you really think I would leave her here by herself? What if she wakes up and needs something? You go ahead and take a nap. You look tired," pushing Cloud into the Red Room as she said this.

  


"Okay, if you insist. But, Aerith, don't stay with her all day. Promise to come and get me if you need someone to take your place," he pleaded.

  


"I promise," she said sweetly, kissing him on the cheek. "Now, go get some rest. You need it more than I do." With that, she left him in the Red Room, shutting the door as she tiredly walked into the Green Room to return to her post.

  


Aerith sat down, desperately trying not to fall asleep in the chair. It wasn't working. _Maybe Cloud's right, _she thought, _maybe I do need a nap. I think I'll just close my eyes for a minute._

  


An hour later, Aerith was awakened by, "Where I am? What happened?" 

  


"Yuffie, are you okay? I was so worried about you!" Aerith gushed, sitting up in her chair to take a better look at Yuffie.

  


"Yuffie? Who's Yuffie? And, who are you?" the ninja asked.

  


"Oh no! You don't remember me?" Aerith begged, tears forming in her eyes. "Cloud! Get in here!"

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Leon slowly limped through the Third District of Traverse Town, carrying his Gunblade over his shoulder. He felt the waves of relief flow over him as he repeated Aerith's words in his mind. _'She's going to make it,'_ she had said. Leon tried to keep this feeling of relief, but it was soon followed by his own regret. _How will Yuffie ever be able to forgive me? _his inner voice asked him. Without warning, his own mind told him the words he never wanted to hear: _She will hate you for the rest of her life._

  


Sighing, Leon slowly walked to the doors leading to the First District and headed towards the Accessory Shop. Arriving there, he saw Cid standing behind the counter.

  


"Hey, kid, why the long face?" Cid asked him.

  


"What? Oh, that's right, you haven't heard about Yuffie yet, have you?" Leon said, surprised.

  


"Heard what about Yuffie? What did she do now?"

  


"She went out last night and got in a fight with the damn Heartless from what we can tell. But we aren't really sure because she's been unconscious since then," Leon stated in his usual unemotional voice.

  


"What the hell?! Are you telling me that she's in the hotel, hurt, and you're out here. Aren't you even worried about her?!" Cid demanded.

  


"No, I'm not worried about her. It was stupid of her to go out in the first place by herself with the Heartless running around. And, secondly, Aerith said this morning she would be okay," Leon said angrily, ignoring the voice that told him he really was worried.

  


"Okay, calm down. Look, can you handle the shop while I go see how she's doing? I'll be back in an hour."

  


"Yeah, sure."

  


As Cid left, Leon silently chastised himself. _Liar, _he told himself, _you know that you are worried about her. You can't even admit it to yourself that you care for the girl._

  


"I can't care for her," he muttered under his breath. "I can't!" he said, louder this time as he slammed his fist on the counter.

  


_But you do. You know you do. Why else are you so upset? Why did you sit with her half the night, barely sleeping? Would you do that if you didn't care for her?_ the inner voice told him.

  


Leon sat on the stool behind the counter, running his hand through his hair, trying unsuccessfully to block out the voice in his head. 

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Back in the Green Room, Cloud had come running as soon as he heard Aerith calling his name. She had sounded so upset. He couldn't remember ever hearing that much emotion in her voice as he did just then.

  


Thinking Yuffie had taken a turn for the worse, he asked, "What's wrong, Aerith? Is she alright?" Then he noticed that Yuffie was sitting up in the bed, clutching her head. "Yuffie, you're awake. How're you feeling?" he inquired, obviously relieved to see her up, but still confused at the emotion present in Aerith's voice.

  


"Yuffie? You keep saying that name. Is that my name?" the ninja dazedly asked, looking at Cloud, then back at Aerith.

  


Aerith looked at Cloud sadly, "Yuffie has amnesia," she stated.

  


It was at this moment that Cid showed up at the Green Room. He softly walked in the door, hoping not to wake anyone who might be sleeping. Noticing everyone was awake, including Yuffie, he said, "Leon told me what happened, so I came to check up on Yuffie. But apparently she's much better. So, Yuffie, what the hell happened last night?"

  


"I'm sorry, but I don't remember," she said quietly. Then coming to the full realization of what was happening, she sobbed, "I don't remember anything!"

  


"Shh, it's okay Yuffie. You'll get your memory back. This is probably temporary," Aerith said soothingly, hugging Yuffie.

  


Yuffie cringed from her touch, not realizing that Aerith was her best friend, almost like a sister. "Please, leave me alone. I want to be alone. I want to think about this," she said, laying back down and rolling over to face the wall. 

  


They stood there for a minute, watching Yuffie curl into a fetal position and cry. Looking at Cid and Cloud, Aerith motioned for the two men to follow her into the Red Room.

  


Once in the Red Room, Aerith closed the door connecting to the Yuffie's room. She looked down at the floor, tears slowly falling down her cheeks. Running to Cloud, she clutched his shirt as she sobbed into his chest.

  


Ignoring Cid, Cloud wrapped his arms around Aerith and rested his head on hers, trying to soothe her. "I know, Aerith, I know. But, you said it yourself, this is probably temporary. It'll come back to her soon."

  


"But what if it doesn't? What if she never remembers?" she wailed.

  


"Well, we'll just have to try and give her back her lost memories. But I don't think that we'll be necessary. They'll return to her on their own," he said hopefully, half doubting himself. "We can't give up hope," he continued, "you said yourself that Yuffie would never give up hope. We just have to hope."

  


"Well, we can't pressure her, that's for sure," Cid said, interrupting Cloud and Aerith's moment. "Hell, we can't force her to remember us. She'll have to remember on her own." With that Cid started for the door, turning back he added, "I don't think I'll be much help here, so I'm going back to the shop. Come get me if there's any change."

  


As he left, Aerith heard him muttering, "Damn! Amnesia. Who would have thought that something like that would happen to her of all people?"

  


Sighing sadly, Aerith released herself from Cloud's arms and started towards the Green Room.

  


"Aerith, where are you going? She said she wanted to be left alone," Cloud said.

  


"Cloud Strife, if you think that I'm going to let my best friend lay in there and cry all alone because she can't remember anything, you have another think coming! I'm going in there to try and comfort her. Even if she can't remember me, she needs comforting!" she said angrily.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


Back in the Green Room, Yuffie looked at the door when she heard Aerith open it. Yuffie examined her, trying to bring back a memory. _Let's see, _she said to herself, _a girl dressed in a pink dress. Any memories yet? No. Um, she looks really nice, and she looks like she's sad because I don't remember her. Damn, still nothing. I guess I should try talking to her to see if anything comes back._

  


"You said my name is Yuffie, right?" Yuffie said pleadingly, trying to grasp onto something concrete in her mind.

  


"Yes," the girl in pink announced quietly, "your name is Yuffie. I know you don't remember me, but my name is Aerith. We've been friends ever since we came here."

  


"Aerith, that's a pretty name," Yuffie said wonderingly. "Where is here, exactly?"

  


"Traverse Town. More specifically, we're in the Green Room of the hotel in the Second District. This is yours and Leon's room."

  


"Leon? Who's Leon? Was he one of the men in here earlier?" she implored, her eyes begging for answers. She just wanted to know what was going on around here. _Damn it, _she thought to herself, _why can't I remember? _But the only thing she could remember was just what had happened since she woke up.

  


Aerith sighed, "I'm sorry. It's hard to remember that you don't remember anything. Leon wasn't in here earlier, in fact, I don't know where he is. But, anyway, Leon is your fighting partner. You've known him since you were seven. You share this room with him. The two men who were here earlier are Cloud and Cid. Cloud is the one with the blond hair and blue eyes. The older man is Cid."

  


"Are Leon and I...lovers?" Yuffie asked, tentatively.

  


Nearly laughing Aerith said, "No, of course not, what makes you think that?"

  


"You said we shared a room, so I thought..." she trailed off.

  


"No, you share this room with Leon for two reasons: one, its more convenient when the Heartless attack, and, two, there was no other way," Aerith explained.

  


"Why didn't I room with you?" 

  


"Um, because you see Cloud and I..."

  


"Oh, I see, you and Cloud share a room," Yuffie laughed, but then grew serious again. "You mentioned 'the Heartless.' What are they?"

  


"Oh, dear. I think you need to take a break Yuffie. This may be too much for you right now. Maybe you should go back to sleep," Aerith begged.

  


"The Heartless are the ones who did this to me, aren't they? You don't have to say it, I can see it in your eyes. I just wish I could remember," she said bitterly.

  


"It's okay Yuffie. You'll remember eventually. Just wait and see," Aerith said as she patted Yuffie's shoulder. 

  


Yuffie lay back on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to make her memories come back. _Maybe, if I just think hard enough, I'll remember everything. Come on, Yuffie. Think! Nope, still nothing._ Sighing, she rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. She heard Aerith get up and leave the room, saying before she shut the door, "Yuffie, if you need anything, Cloud and I will be right here."

  


Yuffie didn't answer. She just wanted to try and sort all that Aerith had told her out. She couldn't believe that she shared a room with a man called Leon. _Well, maybe when I wake up, I'll remember something about him, _she thought as she fell asleep.

  


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Author's Note: Ooh, Yuffie has amnesia. I'm on a roll and it's all downhill. Next chapter should be up tomorrow and the story will probably be finished by this weekend. I think I know where I'm going with this. 

  


To Vulpes Lapis: See, Yuffie's not hurt that bad. :)

  



	5. Chapter Five: Painful Memories

Author's Note: Okay people, here's chapter five. Once again, thank you to the reviewers.

  


VL: You gave me an interesting idea. I might have to play it out in the story. Thanks

  


Snowri: I hope your hand gets to feeling better.

  
  


Disclaimer: No, I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Square and Disney do. How many times do I have to tell you? :)__

  


_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

  


_Chapter Five: Painful Memories_

  


_Leon ran down the hall of the hotel to the Green Room. Banging on the door, he bellowed, "Yuffie, I know you're in there. I need to talk to you." The door slowly_ _opened to reveal a bedraggled Yuffie. She had a painfully large knot on her head to go along with her pale face. She looked up at Leon imploringly, begging, "Please, just go away. You're the cause of all my pain. Please, leave me alone." _

  


_ "But Yuffie, I love you. Can't you see that? I need you. I can't go on without you," Leon pleaded._

  


_ "You're the cause of my pain," she repeated. "If you love me, then why do you treat me like this?" she asked as she closed the door in his face._

  


_ Beating on the door, Leon continued to yell,"Yuffie! Yuffie! YUFFIE!"_

  


_ He felt the darkness overcoming the light of the hallway, causing him to still the beating of his fists on the door. He turned, only to find the hall darker than it had been a few moments before. He frantically looked around, seeing nothing in the ever growing darkness._

  


_ Suddenly, he saw yellow eyes appearing in the darkness, searching for him. Knowing it was the Heartless, Leon reached for his Gunblade. It wasn't there. He had nothing to fight with. He was alone in the hallway, surrounded by Heartless without a weapon._

  


_ "No," he screamed. "This can't be happening!" _

  


_ He ran blindly down the hall, cursing himself for being a coward since only cowards ran away. But how was he supposed to fight without a weapon. He heard a door opening in the hall and heard her voice echoing down the hall._

  


_ "You're the cause of all my pain. Please, leave me alone."_

  


"Hey, Leon, wake up! How do you expect to take care of the customers if you're asleep and drooling on the damn counter," Cid demanded.

  


"Wha–, it was only a dream!" Leon muttered, shaking himself awake, only to find that he was sitting on a hard stool with his head lying on the cool countertop of the Accessory Shop, with an angry Cid looming over him. Suddenly remembering his dream, he asked the first thing he could think of, "How's Yuffie?"

  


"Well, she's awake, but--" the Gummi pilot began. Leon didn't wait for the rest of the answer. He hobbled out the door as fast as his wounded leg would carry him. "Damn kid," Cid said. "Can't even wait for a man to finish his sentence." He lit a cigarette as he sat down on the stool, grimacing as he wiped up the puddle of drool on the counter with a paper towel.

  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  


In the Green Room, Yuffie lay awake on the bed, trying to remember something, anything. She looked around when she heard the hallway door opening. Straining her neck to see who was coming in, she gasped. In the doorway stood a man with long brown hair and the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He was dressed in leather pants with what looked like four belts and a white shirt with a short-sleeved leather jacket over it. _Damn, he's hot. Please let him be Leon, _she silently prayed, _I can deal with sharing a room with a man like him_.__

  


"Yuffie," he said quietly as he walked up to the bed where she lay. She noticed the angry look in his eyes as he viewed the bruise on her head. "Yuffie, are you okay? Cid said you were awake now, so I came to check on you."

  


"Um, yeah. I'm awake now. So, you're Leon right? Aerith told me we shared a room," giving him an unsure smile as she said this. She noticed a look of confusion come over his face. "I'm sorry. I thought you knew," she said softly. She felt like crying. Once again, he looked at her confusedly.

  


"Yuffie, what are you talking about? Of course I'm Leon, although that's the first time I've ever heard you call me by that name. Are you sure you're okay?" he questioned, looking down at her upturned face.

"I–," she began, breaking down before she could finish her sentence. _Be brave Yuffie. Don't let him see you cry._ Composing herself, she continued, "I have amnesia. I don't remember anything. All I know is that Aerith told me that I shared a room with a man named Leon, who appears to be you."

  


"What! Amnesia! Is that the best you could come up with? Come on Yuffie, enough with the jokes. I know you were mad at me yesterday, but this has gone far--" he yelled, but then stopped as he noticed the genuine tears overflowing from her eyes. _Damn it, Leon. She really does have amnesia. And what a great first impression you've made on her! No wonder she hates you._ "Yuffie, I'm sorry. I–, I thought you were playing a joke on me. Please forgive me," he begged.

  


Drawing a deep breath, Yuffie said, "It's okay. I must have been a terrible person if you think that I would play a joke on you, right?"

  


"No, Yuffie. You're not a terrible person. We just have our differences is all," he answered, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "So, how are you feeling? Is there much pain?" he asked, remembering her voice from his dream earlier.

  


"Well, my head hurts and these scratches sting, but other than that I'm okay. I just feel so helpless without my memories. I don't know who I am, or who anyone else is. I hate this feeling," she cried.

  


"You always have, Yuffie, you always have," he whispered, remembering that, when she was seven, she claimed she would never be helpless again. 

  


"Leon," she began tentatively, twisting the bed sheets in her hands, "I feel so stupid. I mean, amnesia's a strange thing. I can remember what something like a table or chair is and what they're used for, but I can't recall anything about my life. I guess I need to start out with some basic facts, like my age. So, Leon, could you tell me how old I am? And when my birthday is?"

  


Sighing, "Yuffie, don't feel stupid. It's not your fault you can't remember. But, for the record, you're eighteen and your birthday is November 20." (A/N: I think I read in another fic that this is her birthday)

  


"Thanks, Leon. I have one other question to ask. What do I look like? Can you tell me that? I mean, I can't even remember."

  


"I'll do better than tell you, I'll take you to a mirror." Looking at her injured body, he asked, "Do you think you can walk?"

  


"Maybe." Yuffie sat up, causing the room to spin uncontrollably. Putting a hand on her head, she said, "Um, if you help me, I think I can make it. How far is it to the mirror?"

  


Helping her up, Leon replied, "Just across the room. It isn't far." He put his arm around her waist and let her lean on him until she was stable enough to move her legs.

  


They began walking slowly, but Yuffie noticed Leon limping slightly. Looking up at him, she asked, "What's wrong with your leg?"

  


Not knowing what to say, Leon bit his lip and said, "Um..., I had an accident yesterday. I did something stupid and it backfired on me. But don't worry, I'll be okay."

  


Yuffie nodded, and looked ahead at the mirror. She grimaced when she saw herself. "Wow, I must have really taken a beating. Just look at the bruise on my head. I knew it was there, because I accidentally touched it earlier, but I didn't realize how bad it was." Stepping away from Leon, she gingerly touched it again, and winced. "Yikes! It still hurts just as bad too."

  


Leon saw her starting to sway and reached out to grab her. "Be careful! You're going to fall!"

  


"I'll be fine. Besides, I need to get back to walking on my own anyways." Then, she playfully asked, "Are you always this protective of me, Leon?"

  


"Well...I–uh..." he began.

  


"Never mind, just forget I asked." Looking at her blood-stained clothes in the mirror, she said, "Man, I bet these clothes will never come clean. Maybe I should change. Um, Leon, where do I keep my clothes?"

  


He pointed towards the dresser and said, "Top two drawers."

  


She slowly walked over to the dresser, stumbling occasionally as she went. She reached the dresser and pulled open the top drawer. "Hmm, well, I found my underwear," she laughed. Pulling some out, she shut the drawer and opened the next. "And here's my shirts and shorts. Okay, um, Leon, where's the bathroom? I would really like to take a shower."

  


"It's right there," he said as he pointed her in the right direction. "Are you sure you'll be okay in there by yourself?"

  


"Well, Leon, I don't think I need you in there with me."

  


Blushing, Leon explained, "I meant, do you want me to get Aerith to sit in there with you?"

  


"No, I'll be fine. I'm feeling better every minute. The room's even stopped spinning," she laughed, surprising herself with the laughter. _How can you laugh Yuffie, _she asked herself, _when you can't remember anything?_

  


Leon watched her walk into the bathroom, but before she shut the door he yelled, "If you need some help, just holler and I'll send in Aerith."

  


"Okay, but I don't think anything will happen," she said as the door closed.

  


Leon walked back to the bed and was about to lay down, when he noticed all the blood on the sheets from her wounds. Sighing, he opted for the chair next to the bed instead, too tired to change the bloody sheets. Just before he fell asleep, he heard the water in the shower begin to run.

  


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Aerith walked into the Green Room to find Leon dozing in the chair, and Yuffie no where in sight. Hearing the water running in the bathroom, she decided that the ninja must be taking a shower. Looking at the bed, she noticed the stained sheets and determined that they should be changed. But first, she would have to move Leon because his chair was too close to the bed for her to get to it.

  


"Leon, I need you to move," she said, gently shaking his shoulder.

  


"I don't wanna get up," he mumbled tiredly.

  


"Leon, if you just get up for a few minutes, then I can make the bed and you can go to sleep on it instead of the chair," she explained.

  


"Huh? Oh, Aerith it's you," he said as he rubbed his hand over his face, trying to wake up. Remembering Yuffie's condition, he looked up at Aerith accusingly. "You said Yuffie would be alright. But she's not. She doesn't know anything. She didn't even know how old she was."

  


"Leon, I said she was going to make it. Besides, her memory will come back eventually," she replied, sounding like she was trying to convince herself as well as him.

  


Aerith gently pushed Leon out of the way so she could change the once white bed sheets with the pale green sheets she had found in the closet. Just as she had finished tucking in the last corner, she heard Yuffie come out of the bathroom.

  


"Yuffie, are you feeling better?" the Flower Girl asked, noting that she looked a lot more like her old self. "You look a lot better."

  


Yuffie stood just outside the bathroom, towel drying her hair, being careful to avoid the painful bruise on her temple. "Yeah, the shower helped a lot. Although Leon here didn't want me to in there alone." She looked around the room and noticed the Gunblade Leon had propped against the wall when he had returned. "Wow, what is that thing?" she asked, pointing at it.

  


Leon furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her. "It's called a Gunblade. It's my weapon. I got it for my sixteenth birthday."

  


"Which was...?" Yuffie inquired curiously.

  


"Eleven years ago," he replied, holding the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

  


"So, that makes you twenty-seven, then, right?" __

  


"Yes, why do you ask?" Leon looked at her confusedly.

  


"Um..., no reason, just trying to bring back some memories," she managed to falter out. _Damn, _Yuffie thought, _he's too old for me. Wait a minute! Why am I even thinking about that right now, when my memory is completely gone? I need to focus on recovering my memories before I think about anything else._

  


"Um, Yuffie, maybe you better try not to strain your mind too much. I just know you're memory will come back when you're ready to remember," Aerith said soothingly.

  


"I just can't help it," Yuffie murmured. "I just need something to grasp onto."

  


"I know, Yuffie. But, if you're not ready to remember, then it will only make it worse," the pink clad woman explained.

  


It was at this moment that Cloud walked into the Green Room from the Red Room through the connecting door. Yuffie stared at the spikey-haired blue-eyed blond, trying to remember what Aerith said his name was.

  


"Hey Yuffie," he said cheerfully, "you look a lot better. How're ya feeling?"

  


"Um, a lot better. You're Cid, right?" she questioned, biting her lip.

  


"Cid?! Aerith did you tell her that I'm Cid?" he asked, looking at the Flower Girl. Turning back to Yuffie, he continued, more gently, "No, I'm Cloud. I've known you since you were six, when Aerith used to babysit you."

  


"Aerith, you used to babysit me? But..., you don't look that much older than me. How could you have babysat me?" Yuffie questioned, looking at Aerith.

  


Aerith laughed. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment, I guess. I'm twenty-five, seven years older than you. When I was thirteen, your parents offered me a babysitting job, so I took it."

  


"My parents? Where are my parents? Shouldn't they be here with me?" Yuffie wondered, confusion sweeping over her face. She looked around the room and noticed that no one would look her in the eye. "They're dead, aren't they?" The look on their faces confirmed that she was right. She walked over to the bed and sat down, covering her face with her hands. "I guess I should be sadder than I am, but I'm not. I guess it doesn't hurt as much because I don't remember them." Uncovering her face, she looked at Leon and demanded, "Tell me what happened to them. I need to know."

Aerith looked at Yuffie and began, "Yuffie, I don't think now--" but she was cut off by a look from Cloud that said they couldn't put the truth on hold forever.

  


Leon walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. "Well..." he started, "eleven years ago, we didn't live on this world. We lived in a place called Hollow Bastion. It was ruled by a man named Ansem, who everyone thought was very wise; however, his heart became poisoned and he created a horde of monsters."

  


"The Heartless?" Yuffie interrupted.

  


"Yeah. Wait a minute...how did you know that?" Leon asked surprised, hope filling his eyes.

  


"Aerith mentioned them earlier, but didn't explain what they were. But the look in her eye was enough to let me know that they were horrible," she explained.

  


"Well, anyway. Ansem disappeared and the Heartless took over our world. We managed to survive by getting in the last Gummi ship, which was piloted by Cid, and left Hollow Bastion. As far as I know, we are the only survivors from our world," he finished, trying to block out the pain from his memories. He looked down at the girl sitting next to him and saw the sadness in her eyes. He wrenched his eyes away, unable to view the emotions overcoming her face. Raising his head, he noticed that Aerith had turned to Cloud, holding his shirt while she silently cried into his chest. Cloud simply held her, rubbing small circles in her back.

  


Yuffie looked up at the people surrounding her, noticing their sadness from the recollections. She stood up and softly said, "I'm sorry that I made you remember. I didn't want to make anyone sad. I just needed to know my past so I can try and remember myself."

  


Composing herself, Aerith left Cloud's embrace to walk over and hug Yuffie. "I know, Yuffie, I know. I just hate to remember what happened that day. I've tried for years to block that memory, but I can't. It's not you're fault that I'm an emotional mess," she said smiling.

  


"Hey guys, it's nearly six, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. I haven't had anything since breakfast. Why don't we go to the café and get some grub?" Cloud said, after looking at the clock on the wall.

  


Laughing, Leon said, "Strife, do you ever think about anything other than your stomach?"

  


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Author's Note: Well, what do you think? I might have another chapter up later this evening, but I don't know. I've been neglecting my studies since I started this story. :) Oh, well. It should be finished this weekend. I know where I'm going with this, it's just a matter of getting it on paper. By the way, just so you know, this story is interrupting my sleep as well. Every time I was nearly asleep last time, another idea for a scene would pop into my head. Anyways, enough rambling. Read and Review, please.

  



	6. Chapter Six: A Plan is Formed

Author's Note: This story is basically writing itself. I have nothing to do with it. :) I just can't believe how fast it's coming. I love my muse. Anyways, enjoy!

  


Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square and Disney. I had no part in the making of it. 

  


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_Chapter Six: A Plan is Formed_

  


Yuffie sat at the booth in the café of the First District, looking at the menu. Next to her sat Leon. Cloud and Aerith cuddled in the seat across from them. "Um, what do I like to eat? I don't know what to order because I can't remember what I like," she asked helplessly, turning to look at Leon.

  


"Well, you always loved hamburgers," he told her, continuing to look at his own menu.

  


"Oh, okay," she said, looking back down at her own menu. "I'm sorry to pester you again, but it says in the menu that I can get it all the way or my way. So, how do I like it?" 

  


Hearing Yuffie's question, Aerith laughed as she answered, "Well, you were always kind of picky. All you like to put on them is mustard, nothing else." She noticed the shocked look on Yuffie's face. "I know it's strange, but that's how you like them."

  


"Okay, I guess I'll have to take your word for it."

  


After the waiter brought their drinks as the group continued to look at the menu. "Are you ready to order, or should I give you a few more minutes?" he politely inquired.

  


"I think we're ready," Leon said, looking at the nodding heads of his friends. "I'll have a hamburger all the way with an order of fries."

  


Waiting until the waiter wrote this down, Yuffie ordered hers. "I'll have the same thing, except mustard only on the hamburger, please."

  


Cloud ordered both his and Aerith's. "We'll have two chicken strip dinners."

  


"Alright. I'll have your food right out," the waiter replied.

  


They sat at the table in silence, no one knowing what to say. Finally, Yuffie had to break the silence. "Ya know, you guys don't have to worry about what you say around me. I probably won't know what you're talking about anyways."

  


Aerith was about to speak when Cid showed up. "Hey kids, why didn't you invite me for dinner?"

  


"I thought you had some work to do in the shop. I didn't think you would want to leave it just for dinner with us," Aerith explained.

  


"Hell, I could have locked up hours ago. No one's been in there all day." Sitting down, he looked at Yuffie and asked, "So, how's the Greatest Female Ninja Ever doing?"

  


"What?" she began, "Are you talking to me?" Noticing everyone's nods, she continued, "I'm a ninja! I don't understand..." 

  


"Shit, I'm sorry kid. I forgot you have amnesia," he apologized. "Didn't anyone tell her who she is yet?"

  


"Cid, I think we should take it slow," Aerith began, but was interrupted by Cid.

  


"Slow?! We can't take it slow! Not with the Heartless still around!"

  


"Wait, the Heartless are on this world too? I thought you said we left them at Hollow Bastion!" Yuffie exclaimed, looking at Aerith.

  


"Well..." she trailed off.

  


"Yuffie, listen," Cloud said, interrupting what would have been a long explanation from Aerith. "After the Heartless took over Hollow Bastion, they began to take over other worlds as well. They were able to travel to other worlds because Ansem opened a door that connected all the worlds. But two years ago, the Keyblade master, a kid named Sora defeated Ansem and sealed the door. At the time, we thought the Heartless had been defeated, but we were wrong. They're still here. We may not see them that often, but they still attack occasionally."

  


"Oh. But what did Cid say before that? Did he say that I'm a ninja?" she asked expectantly.

  


Leon decided to answer this one. "When we arrived here from Hollow Bastion, you were seven at the time, you told me that you never wanted to be helpless again. After that, you started to train as a ninja."

  


"Wow! I'm a ninja?!"

  


"Yes," Aerith said. "The best that I know."

  


"Thanks, but I wonder I still know the moves," she pondered.

  


"I'm sure you do, Yuffie. You're a natural," Aerith reassured.

  


By this time, the waiter arrived with their dinner. Realizing how hungry she was, Yuffie grabbed her hamburger and began to wolf it down. "You were right, Leon. I do love hamburgers. It's great!" she said between mouthfuls. Leon only smiled at her as he continued to eat his own dinner.

  


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After eating dinner, Cid had left them to go back to his room, muttering something about having to get up early the next morning. The other four watched him go, then continued to sit at the booth to try and come up with something to do.

  


"I know," Aerith said excitedly, "we can take a walk around Traverse Town."

  


"I don't know, Yuffie looks really tired," Leon said, looking at Yuffie worriedly.

  


"I'll be fine. If I get too tired, I'll let you carry me back," the ninja joked.

  


"Promise? I don't want you to exhaust yourself," Leon had replied seriously, causing Aerith and Cloud to exchange a worried look as if saying, _What's wrong with Leon?_ But, Leon and Yuffie didn't see their look since they were already getting out of the booth.

  


"Yes, Leon. I promise," Yuffie said solemnly before breaking out and laughing.

  


Cloud and Aerith slowly got out of the booth, still wondering about Leon. Cloud said, "Yuffie, ya know, you don't have to do this if you're too tired. We can do it some other night."

  


"No, I'm fine. Besides, Leon said he'll carry me if I get tired," Yuffie laughed.

  


"That's what I'm worried about," the blond whispered to Aerith, who only nodded.

  


Leon saw this exchange between the two and wondered, _What have I done? They suspect something. I can see it in their eyes._

  


The ramble around Traverse Town proved to be enjoyable for all parties involved. Cloud and Aerith strolled with their arms around each others waist, occasionally stopping to kiss. Leon and Yuffie walked side by side, stopping every once in a while so she could rest by leaning against Leon. 

  


As the night grew longer and Yuffie began to stumble from exhaustion, Leon put his arm around Yuffie's small waist, whispering, "Here, lean on me. You're tired."

  


Yuffie nodded and did as she was told, trying not to blush. 

  


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They finally arrived back at the hotel, and Yuffie had to struggle to hide her relief. Although she was somewhat tired physically, she was mentally exhausted. All she wanted to do was get in bed and go to sleep. _Wait a minute, _she thought_, there's only one bed in our room. Do we share it, or does someone sleep on the floor? I don't know if I can share a bed with Leon. I barely know him. Well, actually, I do know him, but I don't remember him._

  


"Um, Leon, do we share the bed or does one of us sleep on the floor?" she asked quietly.

  


"Usually, we share the bed. You take the left side and I take the right side. But, I can sleep on the floor so you don't feel uncomfortable," he told her, hating the thought of relinquishing the bed for the cold hard floor.

  


"No, that's okay. I–, I can share it with you," she faltered, trying not to blush. _Damn me and my hormones. Look what the thought of sharing a bed with a good-looking man does to me. _

  


Noticing her blush, Leon asked, "Are you sure? I don't mind sleeping on the floor."

  


"I'll be fine," she said, smiling and thinking, _he's too old for me. Just forget it Yuffie. _

  


She went to the dresser to find some pajamas to sleep in and went to the bathroom to change clothes. Seeing the two toothbrushes on the sink, she yelled through the closed door, "Leon, which toothbrush is mine? The blue one or the purple one?"

  


"The purple one. The toothpaste is in the medicine cabinet above the sink," he hollered.

  


Grabbing her toothbrush, she began to brush her teeth, thinking about the day. The only memories she had were the memories she had made during the day. But something kept nagging her at the back of her mind. She felt like she had one of her friends names wrong. She just couldn't think of who. _Let's see, there's Aerith, Cid, Cloud, and Leon. Wait a minute! That name just doesn't seem right. But it has to be his name, right? I mean, why would someone change their name?_ she wondered. 

  


She finished getting ready for bed and walked out of the bathroom. Leon watched her as she went to the bed as he himself got up to get ready for bed. She walked over to the left side of the bed and crawled under the covers, sleep hitting her immediately.

  


In the bathroom, Leon was having a silent conversation with himself.

_Admit it Leon, you love her. And now's your chance to show her. She doesn't remember how cruel you were to her before. Go in there and tell her that you love her._

  


_ No, I can't. I couldn't take advantage of her. She has no recollection of our past together. Besides, it's my fault she's like this. What if she remembers someday what happened? She'll hate me._

  


_ You're just a coward, Leon. You don't want to admit that you have feelings for her because then she could hurt you._

  


"No, I'm the one hurting her," he quietly said out loud remembering what she had said in his dream: _You're the cause of all my pain._

  


He left the bathroom and went back into the room, noticing that she was already asleep. He leaned over her and ran his hand over her cheek. _Damn, she's beautiful_ he said to himself as he walked to his side of the bed. As he fell asleep, his last thoughts were of her.

  


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Yuffie awoke the next morning feeling the sun shine through the window onto her face. She tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but was unable because of the snoring coming from her partner.

  


"Damn it, Squall! I'm trying to sleep," she mumbled. Suddenly, the memory of yesterday came back with a rush. _Wait a minute, I had amnesia yesterday, but today I don't. I can't wait to tell them._

  


"Hey, Squall! Guess what?" she said excitedly.

  


"It's Leon," he muttered in his sleep.

  


She was about to wake him up, when she remembered how nice he was to her last night. _He had his arm wrapped around my waist last night when we were walking! I can't believe it! He's been so nice to me since he thinks I have amnesia. If I tell him I remember everything, will he be an ass again? Should I tell him? _she wondered. __

  


She looked at him, smiling impishly. _No, I don't think I'll tell him just yet. I'm going to take advantage of the situation._ And, with that, she lay back down to think about what she could do to him today.

  
  


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Author's Note: Uh-oh! Yuffie's being bad. By the way, I have to give credit where credit is due, I got the idea of her deciding to play like she still has amnesia from Vulpes Lapis. So, I have to say thank you to VL. (bows down to her) Anyways, I hope everyone is enjoying this story.


	7. Chapter Seven: Mistakes

Author's Note: Okay, here's the next chapter. You know the drill. Read and Review. Once again, I would like to take this time to thank all the reviewers so far: VL, Snowri, Rainy Diamond, Annjirika, Yuffie-Penn, and Jakotsu-aniki.

  


Disclaimer: do I really need to say it _again_? Okay, you win. I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I had no part in the making of it. If I did, I would have kept Squall for my very own :) Square and Disney own Kingdom Hearts (lucky ducks)

  
  


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_Chapter Seven: Mistakes_

  


Leon awoke to find his young partner sitting at the small table, drinking a cup of coffee, a smile playing across her lips. He briefly wondered if her memory had returned, but decided she would have awakened him if it had. _Good. I still have a chance to give a good impression._ Sitting up, he stretched and yawned, "Good morning, Yuffie. Did you sleep well?"

  


Startled, Yuffie looked around guiltily. "I slept fine, Sq-, Leon." She prayed he didn't hear her near slipup. But apparently, he was still too sleepy to notice. Sighing with relief, she continued, "How about you?"

  


"Yeah, I slept straight through the night, which is odd. I normally wake up in the middle of the night," he said.

  


"Why? What wakes you up?" she asked, curiously.

  


"Sometimes you have nightmares and it wakes me up," he admitted.

  


Gulping, Yuffie looked at him with wide eyes. _I wake him up when I have the nightmares? But he never complained. Not once. And he always complains about everything I do. _Coming out of the trance she had fallen into, she apologized. "I'm sorry about that. I wish I could remember what they were about." _Liar, _she told herself, _you remember very well what they were about._

  


"Don't worry about it, Yuffie. It doesn't bother me." He ran his hands through his shaggy brown hair, thinking, _damn, she looks uptight today._ "Yuffie, are you alright? You look kind of nervous."

  


Looking at her cup of coffee, and steeling her nerves, she replied "Who? Me? I'm not nervous. What makes you think I'm nervous?" Silently she sarcastically added, _of course I'm nervous, you idiot. I'm pretending to have amnesia in order to win your love. What could possibly make me nervous?_

  


"Okay, Yuffie. I believe you." Leon looked longingly at the coffee she was drinking, he asked, "Did you happen to bring me any coffee?"

  


"Of course, I did. You didn't think I would forget about you, now do you?" she said playfully, as she went to get his coffee that she had sat on the windowsill. As she handed it to him, her hand brushed against his. "Uh, here you go," she managed to stammer out. _Yuffie, _she chastised herself, _you've touched him before and have never gotten so worked up about it. What's so different now? _

  


"Thank you," he said softly, still standing in front of her. He stared down at her wide eyes, losing himself in their depths. _Kiss her, damn it, _he told himself. Just as he was about to follow his own orders, the door burst open, revealing a beaming Aerith.

  


"Good morning, guys! I hope you slept well," Aerith gushed, not noticing the look of annoyance spreading across Leon's face. 

  


Yuffie silently cursed Aerith. _He was about to kiss me! I could see it in his eyes. And you just had to come barging in here and interrupt us!? _But one look at Aerith's radiant face, and Yuffie instantly forgave her. Composing herself, she smiled sweetly and said, "Good morning to you as well, Aerith. And, to answer your question, I slept perfectly fine."

  


"But how are you today? Any memories yet?" Aerith asked hopefully. "Anything at all? Even just the tiniest little memory?"

  


Laughing nervously, Yuffie managed to falter out, "No, nothing yet." _I hate myself for doing this. It's one thing to mess with Squall's mind. But it's another thing entirely to lie to Aerith. If she finds out, she'll be terribly upset._ "I'm sorry, Aerith. I'm trying," she lied.

  


"It's okay. I know you can't help it," the Flower Girl soothed, adding to Yuffie's self-loathe. "But, anyways, the reason I came in here was to find out if anyone wanted to join Cloud and I for breakfast."

  


Leon and Yuffie looked at each other, trying to decide what the other wanted. "We would love to go," Yuffie answered, trying to sound as excited about it as Aerith. She assumed that if Squall didn't want to go, he would have said something.

  


Clapping her hands together in excitement Aerith ran back to the Red Room, yelling, "Be ready in ten minutes."

  


"I whole-heartedly believe that the girl is crazy," Yuffie told Leon after Aerith had shut the door. "Look how happy she is just because we're going out to breakfast with them. You would think that we promised her world peace or something."

  


Leon silently laughed at Yuffie's assessment, shaking his head as he walked to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

  


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Back in the Red Room, Aerith could hardly hold in her excitement. She shut the door as soon as she walked in to keep Leon and Yuffie from hearing her. "Cloud, you should have see them. I think he was about to kiss her when I walked in. Isn't this great?" she said enthusiastically, jumping onto the bed where he still lay.

  


"Aerith, calm down. Take a deep breath," the blond told her jokingly, clutching her shoulders. He loved the way she became so excited about matters of the heart. But, then again, he loved everything about her. "That's right, just keep breathing. You know, you really to calm down. And, you also need to stop jumping to conclusions. Now, what makes you think that he was about to kiss her?" 

  


"Because, he had that look in his eye," she said impatiently, acting like that was the stupidest question in the world. 

  


"What look?" Cloud asked confusedly.

  


"You know, _that _look. It's the same look you get when you're about to kiss me."

  


"Oh, you mean this look," he said, leaning down towards her, with _that _look in his eye.

  


"Yeah. That's the one," she murmured, allowing him to kiss her. 

  


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At the café, Yuffie slid to the inside of the booth, allowing room for Leon to sit beside her. He sat down and immediately began looking over the menu, waiting for Yuffie to ask him what she should order as she had done the night before. When she didn't, he looked at her and realized she wasn't even looking at her menu. "Um, Yuffie. You might need to look at the menu," he said.

  


Momentarily forgetting that she was supposed to have amnesia, Yuffie declared, "I don't need the menu. I'll just have my usual."

  


Leon turned to stare at her. Even Cloud and Aerith forgot about each other for a moment to look at the ninja. "Yuffie," Aerith began, hesitatingly, "do you remember what your usual is?"

  


_Shit, _Yuffie thought, _I'm supposed to have amnesia. _"French toast, right?" she lied, knowing she never ate it.

  


Everyone's shoulders slumped, disappointed. "No, you don't like French toast. You usually get pancakes," Aerith explained.

  


"Silly me. I don't know why I thought I wanted French toast," she laughed, letting out a discreet sigh of relief after everyone returned to their menus. _That was close, Yuffie. They nearly caught you. You had better be more careful._

  


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"And, Aerith, remember the time when Yuffie snuck up behind Cid when he was cleaning out the storage bin of his Gummi ship back at Hollow Bastion? He bumped his head when she tapped him on the shoulder. I'll never forget the look on her face when she heard his filthy mouth. Her eyes got all wide a-, and--" Cloud couldn't finish the story because he was laughing so hard. His blue eyes overflowed with tears that rolled down his face. Aerith smiled politely, not really enjoying the look of embarrassment present on Yuffie's face. Leon just kept his standard, unemotional expression.

  


Yuffie tried not to show that she remembered, but it was awfully hard. She couldn't prevent the blush that kept covering her cheeks. She knew that was the first time she had ever heard a dirty word. She was about six at the time. What really burned the memory into her mind was the fact that she had repeated what she had heard to her parents that night. They were not amused, to say the least. "Did I really do that?" she asked, trying to sound like she didn't already know.

  


"Yes. You were always sneaking up on people when you were little," Aerith explained. "I bet that's why you're such a good ninja now. You learned how to be silent when you needed to. It was good practice for you."

  


"Wow! I wish I could remember what it was like." Yuffie tried to sound interested, but she was tired of these recollections. It started about an hour ago when Cloud had decided that if they told stories about her, then she would begin to remember. So, still sitting at the booth in the café, Yuffie had to listen to all these embarrassing stories, which were all told by Cloud. _Ugh, if they tell one more story, I'm going to pull the plug and tell them the truth. I'm sick of this._ She felt like pulling her hair out. "Well, would ya look at the time! It's noon already! I guess we should be heading back to the hotel now, shouldn't we?" she said, looking pleadingly at Leon. _Please, _she silently begged, _no more stories._

  


Leon looked at her, noticing her discomfort. "Yeah, I think we should go."

  


"No, wait, one more story. This is a good--" Cloud began, but was stopped by Aerith.

  


"You know, Cloud, I think that if Yuffie wants to go back, then we should let her go back," she said, trying to save Yuffie.

  


"Alright, if you insist," Cloud pouted. "But this one is really go--"

  


"Cloud!" Aerith said sternly.

  


Leon slid out of the booth, then reached down to help Yuffie out. "Are you guys coming?" he asked Aerith and Cloud.

  


"No, we're going to take a walk," she declared, ignoring Cloud's protesting look.

  


"Okay, well, we'll see you later then," Yuffie said as she waved goodbye.

  


As soon as Leon and Yuffie were out of sight, Aerith pushed Cloud out of the booth and began to yell, "Cloud Strife! I can't believe you did that to her!"

  


Confused, Cloud asked, "What?! What did I do?"

  


"You told all those stories. Didn't you see how embarrassed she was?"

  


"No..." he began.

  


"How could you miss it? Did you think her face was that red because she put a lot of rouge on her whole face?!" Aerith shouted.

  


"Um, Aerith, I have one question," he said tentatively.

  


"What?" the exasperated Flower Girl asked.

  


"Why would Yuffie be embarrassed if she had amnesia?" the blond questioned.

  


She thought about this for a minute. "Oh my gosh! You're absolutely right, Cloud! You're a genius! If she didn't remember, then she wouldn't become embarrassed. She remembers," Aerith said excitedly.

  


"But, Aerith, if she remembers, then why is she acting like she doesn't," Cloud pondered.

  


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Walking back to the hotel, Yuffie tried to hide the blush on her cheeks. She couldn't believe Cloud had told all those stories. "How could he?" she muttered, thinking Leon wouldn't hear her.

  


"He was just trying to help, Yuffie," Leon said gently, putting his arm around her shoulder as the walked.

  


"Help? How could that possibly help? All he did was embarrass me," she continued.

  


"They weren't that embarrassing. I thought they were kind of funny, really."

  


"You weren't there, Squall. I remember how embarrassing..." she trailed off, realizing her mistake.

  


Leon stopped walking, took his arm off her shoulder, and turned to look at her. "Wait a minute, did you just call me Squall? And did you just say that you remembered?" Leon asked questioningly. When she didn't answer and refused to look at him, he got all the answer he needed. "Yuffie, when did you get your memory back?"

  


Looking at the ground, she answered softly, "This morning, when I woke up."

  


"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you lie about it?" She refused to answer. "Damn it, Yuffie! Answer me!" he demanded angrily.

  


That was the last straw. She couldn't take it anymore, so she blew up at him. "Why?! Why?! How can you possibly ask that?! You must be stupider than I thought, Squall! Before I had amnesia, you hated me. Don't try to deny it! I know you did. But while you thought I that I had no memories, you were kinder to me than you have ever been before. Do you know what it feels like to know that the man you love hates you? Do you have any idea how much heartache you've caused me? You're," she said pointing emphatically at him, "the cause of all my pain!" As she said this, she ran away sobbing.

  


Leon could only stand there, hearing the last words she had said echo in his mind: _You're the cause of all my pain!_ They were the same words she had said in his dream.

  
  


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Author's Note: Okay, here's the scoop. I'm thinking there's only going to be one more chapter. I don't think I can go much further with this. By the way, sorry if I made Cloud seem like a raving lunatic, but I couldn't help myself. :) The last chapter will probably be up by Sat. night.

  
  



	8. Chapter Eight: Revelations

Author's Note: Yea! I finished this story! Now I can get back to my studies. Oh, one more thing, just like at the movies, the credits will be at the bottom.

  


Disclaimer: For the last time, I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I never will own Kingdom Hearts. Square and Disney own Kingdom Hearts. (But I do wish that I owned Leon/Squall)__

  


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_Chapter Eight: Revelations _

  


When Cloud and Aerith came to the full realization that Yuffie had been lying about her amnesia that day, they began to brainstorm about what could possibly have made her want to do that.

  


"Okay, let's think about this for a minute," Cloud began. "Yuffie's been acting like she has amnesia, but for how long? And why?"

  


"I think yesterday she really didn't remember, but today..." Aerith trailed off. "Today, she remembered everything. She knew this morning at breakfast. I know she did. Remember, she knew what she wanted to order without looking at the menu?"

  


"Yeah. So, yesterday, it was genuine. But today it was an act." Cloud furrowed his brow in thought. "Why would she feel like she needs to pretend to have amnesia?"

  


"Oh my gosh!" Aerith yelled excitedly, covering her mouth with her hands. "We've been treating her differently. _All_ of us have. Even Leon."

  


"So, are you saying that she's doing this because she wants the attention?" the blond asked confusedly.

  


"Yes, but she's not craving attention from you, me, or Cid."

  


"You don't think...No, she couldn't possibly love...He would never..." Cloud stopped, dumbfounded. "There has to be another reason, Aerith."

  


"No, Cloud, there's not. You've seen how much gentler he's been with her. And this morning, before breakfast, he nearly kissed her. That has to be it!" the Flower Girl said. "What else could it be?"

  


"I don't know, but we better find out before she gets herself into trouble." Cloud slid out of the booth at the café and pulled Aerith out with him. They began hurriedly walking toward the exit to look for Yuffie, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Leon discovered the truth. And knowing him, he would be furious at the lie.

  


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Leon still stood in front of the hotel door, where Yuffie had blown up at him. He felt as though he had been standing there for an eternity, but in all actuality, it was only five minutes. He kept replaying the scene in his head:

  


_"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you lie about it? Damn it, Yuffie! Answer me!_

  


_ "Why?! Why?! How can you possibly ask that?! You must be stupider than I thought, Squall! Before I had amnesia, you hated me. Don't try to deny it! I know you did. But while you thought that I had no memories, you were kinder to me than you have ever been before. Do you know what it feels like to know that the man you love hates you? Do you have any idea how much heartache you've caused me? You're the cause of all my pain!"_

  


Leon still couldn't believe it. "She thought that I hated her? I've been such an idiot!" he mumbled. "How could I have been so stupid? Of course she would think that with the way I've been treating her." _Wait a minute, _the voice in his head said, _did she just say that she loved you? What are you waiting for, go get her! _"No, I can't," he told himself. "I'm the cause of her pain." He knew what he had to do.

  


He was still standing there, arguing with himself when Cloud and Aerith caught up with him. "Um, Leon, where's Yuffie?" Aerith asked quietly, fearing the answer.

  


Forcing himself to pay attention, he muttered, "She ran off when I found out she didn't have amnesia."

  


"I was afraid of that," Aerith said.

  


Turning to look at her angrily, Leon yelled, "You knew? And you didn't tell me? How could you--" but he was cut off with the glare Cloud sent his way.

  


"We just figured it out ourselves, Leonheart. So, go cool off while we think about what to do," the blond said angrily. "After all, Yuffie wouldn't have run off if you hadn't been so angry with her," he continued accusingly.

  


Aerith put her hand on Cloud's arm to calm him down. "Cloud, we can't lay the blame on him. It's just as much his fault as it is hers. She shouldn't have lied." Turning to Leon, she asked gently, "Now, Leon, what did you Yuffie say before she ran off? It might help us find her before she hurts herself."

  


"She said that I hated her and that I'm the cause of her pain," he answered quietly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room to pack."

  


"Pack?! Where are you going, Leon?" Aerith inquired confusedly.

  


"I'm leaving Traverse Town. I need to go someplace where I can't hurt her anymore." With that Leon turned around and briskly walked through the hotel doors, slamming them on the way.

  


"Cloud, we need to hurry up and find Yuffie. Come on." She grabbed Cloud's arm and dragged him away from the hotel, knowing it was useless to try and stop Leon.

  


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Yuffie sat with her arms wrapped around her drawn up knees on the cold pavement behind the crates in the Alley. She sobbed loudly, not caring who heard. _That was real smart, Yuffie, _she told herself. _Your whole little plan backfired in your face, didn't it? And what do you have to show for it? Nothing. Just more heartache. _

  


"What am I going to do?" she asked herself out loud, in between sobs. _There's nothing you can do now. You even admitted that you loved him and he didn't even bother to chase after you. _

  


"I have to leave," she told herself, bravely. "I need to get away from him. I need to find someplace to heal." _But where?_ She stood up slowly, wiped the tears away from her face, and began to walk towards the World Exit.

  


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"Yuffie! Yuffie! Yuffie, where are you? You can't hide forever," Cloud called for the hundredth time. He and Aerith had been walking all over Traverse Town looking for the ninja, but could not find her. They were beginning to get worried about her. Who knows what she would do when she was upset. They had already walked around the first two districts, and were now in the Third. 

  


"She's not here," Aerith had said sadly. "Cloud, maybe Cid has seen her. Let's go ask him."

  


"Okay, it's worth a shot," he conceded, heading towards the entrance to the First District. _I hope she hasn't done anything stupid, _he silently added.

  


At the Accessory Shop, Cid told he hadn't seen her. "Hell, she could be anywhere. And I do mean _anywhere_. I just hope she hasn't taken it into her fool head to go to another world."

  


Aerith gasped, "You don't think she would, do you?"

  


"Damned if I know. You know as well as I do how irrational she is when she's upset," the Gummi pilot pointed out.

  


"Cid, can you find out if her Gummi ship is still here?" Cloud asked.

  


"Shit, I can find out where she's going if she's left. I put a tracking device on all the ships," he admitted.

  


"Well, find out then!" Cloud yelled impatiently.

  


"Hold your horses and give me a minute, would ya?" Cid walked down into the basement of the shop check his computer. "Yup, she took her Gummi ship alright. And it looks like she's headed for--" he stopped, looking surprised and scratching his head.

  


"What? What is it? Is she okay? Where is she going? Cid, talk to me!" Aerith demanded worriedly.

  


"She's fine. It looks like she's going back to Hollow Bastion. But she's not alone."

  


"What do you mean she's not alone? Who's with her?" Aerith yelled, ready to slap the man for dragging out the intensity of the moment.

  


"Someone's already there," he paused. "Leon's ship arrived there just moments ago."

  


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After Leon had left Traverse Town, he didn't decide immediately where he would go. He thought about Deep Jungle, but he figured he would be unable to put up with a bunch of Powerwilds constantly attacking. _Not to mention the stupid Bouncywilds popping my head with those damn coconuts, _he added.

  


"How about the Coliseum?" he asked out loud since nobody else was around. _No, that would be the first place they looked. They know you would go there to fight._

  


"Okay, Agrabah maybe?" _Do you really want to be in a desert?_ "Good point, definitely not Agrabah. And Wonderland's out of the question, too. I can't put up with that stupid doorknob." 

  


_Why not Hollow Bastion? They would never think to look for you there. The memories are too painful for them, but you can handle it_. He considered this a moment. "Leon, you're a genius," he told himself. So to Hollow Bastion he went.

  


Leon had stopped his ship at Rising Falls to take a look around. He got out of his Gummi and watched the water flowing behind the ice walls. _They still look the same, _he thought. He decided to leave his ship here so he could take the long walk to the castle. He really needed the time to think. Picking up his Gunblade and his bag of clothes, he began the slow and cumbersome hike.

  


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Yuffie had left Traverse Town without even taking the time to pack. Clothes were the last thing on her mind when she had decided that she had to leave. _I'll just have to make do with what I can find there, if I ever make up my mind about where there is._

  


She piloted her Gummi ship past all the worlds, trying to decide where to go. After barely escaping Monstro's mouth, she decided to continue her journey all the way to Hollow Bastion. She could spend days at a time in the massive library, reading and forgetting about Squall. "Who needs him, anyway? He's just an emotionless jerk. All he cares about his himself," she whispered to herself. _But you need him. You love him, _ the nagging little voice in her head replied.

  


She steered her ship into the dock situated above Hollow Bastion and took the first lift she could find to the library. Once there, she began prowling the shelves, looking for a good book to read. Finding one that appeared interesting, she went and sat down at the table under the stairs. 

  


"Hmm, _Defense of the Heart_," she said, reading the title aloud. "Sounds like something I need to learn to do." She opened the book and fell into a world of romance and heartache. 

  


After reading for about an hour, she reached for the tissues she had found, and cried to the characters, "Rachel, don't leave him. Can't you see that he loves you? How blind can you be?" She calmed back down and continued reading.

  


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Leon had finally reached the castle gates and decided he had better find himself a room to sleep in before it got too late. Walking into the Entrance Hall, he thought he heard something coming from the library.

  


"Who could possibly be here?" he muttered under his breath. Figuring he was hearing things, Leon ignored the noise and walked to the lift stop in the back to take him into the main part of the castle.

  


He continued his trek all the way up to the Great Crest, where the castle rooms were located. Finding one that he liked, he threw his bag down on the floor and lay on the bed. _Well, Leon, here you are. All alone in this hell hole? Is this really what you wanted?_

  


Sighing Leon got up and thought about what to do while he was here. He remembered the noise in the library. "What the hell, I might as well go and check it out. I have nothing better to do and I might find something to read while I'm there."

  


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Still sitting at the table under the stairs, Yuffie was completely engrossed in her book. Suddenly, she heard a door slam on the balcony above. Startled, she jumped up, ready to fight if she needed to, and silently crept out from under the stairs.

  


"Who's there?" she asked bravely, remembering her lost battle with the Heartless in the gizmo shop only a few days before.

  


"Yuffie? Is that you? What are you doing here?" Obviously confused, Leon came down the stairs to look at her.

  


"Damn it, Squall! You followed me, didn't you? Can't you just leave me alone?" she yelled, turning to leave the library.

  


"Yuffie, wait!" She turned back around to face him with her hands on her hips. Leon thought to himself, _she's pissed with me._ "I didn't follow you. I thought you had followed me."

  


"Followed you? Why would you come here? You hate this place," she began confusedly. 

  


"I came to get away from you," he explained.

  


Enraged, Yuffie yelled, "Well, don't worry, Squall. I'll leave you alone, since I'll be leaving now that I know you're here." She started back towards the door, tears falling down her face. _Of course he wants to get away from me, he hates me._

  


"Yuffie, it's not like that," Leon called as he ran after her. _It's now or never, Leon._ Grabbing her, he turned her around so she was facing him. He noticed the tears falling out of her big beautiful eyes. "I wanted to get away from you because of what you said. Remember you said 'you're the cause of all my pain.' Yuffie," he said gently, "I didn't want to hurt you anymore because I love you too much."

  


Yuffie looked up at him, disbelief clouding her eyes. "But, I-, I thought you hated me. You were always so mean to me and--" She was cut off by the pained look in Leon's eyes.

  


"I'm sorry," he said. "I never expected to fall in love with you. I tried to fight it, but it didn't work." He took a deep breath and looked at her, "I love you, Yuffie."

  


"Do you mean it, Squall?" She looked up at the man before her. "Because, I love you too."

  


He reached down and cupped her chin. "Of course I mean it, Yuffie. I'll even say it again. I love you." With that, he lowered his head and kissed her, first on her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and finally, her lips. 

  


She leaned against him, sighing contentedly, when she heard a familiar voice coming from the balcony. "See, Aerith, I told you we didn't need to follow them here. It looks like they're doing just fine on their own." Yuffie and Leon looked up to see a smirking Cloud and a smiling Aerith gazing down on them.

  


"Okay, Cloud. You were right." Noticing the death looks she was receiving from both Leon and Yuffie, she pulled Cloud towards the door and said, "come on. I think they want to be left alone."

  


"Damn right," Yuffie hollered back up at her. Turning back to Leon, she wrapped her arms around his neck and asked, "Now, where were we, Squall?"

  


Not bothering to correct her, he said, "Right here," as he kissed her again.

  


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Author's Note: I would like to take this time to thank all the reviewers: VL, Snowri, Rainy Diamond, Annjirika, Yuffie-Penn, Jakotsu-aniki, DBH, and Ellie. I think that is everyone. 

  


You have really encouraged me. I began this story thinking that everyone would hate it, but I was proved wrong by all you kind people. You have inspired me beyond belief. I already have a few more story ideas, although it may be awhile before I have time to write them. So, once again, thank you. 

  



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